People have come to understand the government will not change the economic model that has caused overcrowding in the country so they are realising their only solution is to change the government, Bernard Grech said on Sunday.

The country's economic prosperity is based solely on the growing population and Robert Abela is too afraid to address that problem, even though everyone agrees Malta should change its economic model, the PN leader said in an interview on the party's television station.

"That is the solution people have - to change government - and that is where we come in," he said.

"If you feel suffocated in construction, traffic, failing infrastructure, crippling hospital services, out-of-stock medicines and the rising cost of living, Abela cannot give you the solution you need. The longer he remains in government, the bigger the population is going to get and the bigger the problem."

Grech made no mention of a MaltaToday poll published on Sunday that showed PN trailed PL by 15,000 votes in next June's elections, that people still trusted Abela far more than they trusted him, and that even a majority of PN voters distrust him.

Grech acknowledged Labour's economic vision was a success but only to the detriment of the environment, people's quality of life, people's freedom to live peacefully. Crime had risen and a sense of insecurity in the community had increased.

"Abela is afraid of addressing the problem he created himself, and he won't solve the issues as long as he continues to hold on to the current economic model," he said.

The government is also afraid to do the right thing when it comes to good governance, Grech said. On the contrary, it seems set on doing the wrong things, by welcoming back the people who were forced to resign because of wrongdoings.

"Abela has not only thrown out good governance but he has now resorted to attacking the courts and the magistrates because he can't control them," he said.

"And Abela does that. He lashes out at whoever he can't control, like he lashes out at us because we speak out against filthy governance."

A PN government would focus on environmental administration, he said, which would find the much-needed balance between development and environmental protection.

While aspiring to increase economic prosperity, the PN wanted to incentivise the private sector to understand it has responsibilities towards society and to push forward the party's vision of excellence.

A PN government would then be able to upgrade infrastructure and the hospitals, among others, he added.

"A PN government would be the strong pair of hands that could address the needs of your family," he told viewers.

He said the government was also unable to effectively address the rising cost of living, first by blaming inflation on the war and the pandemic, and then by introducing a half-baked measure that has not solved the problem of high supermarket bills and does not address the problem at the source.

A PN government would stop taxing the cost of living adjustment (COLA), give tax credits to employers and create a national fund to help importers and exporters.